Washington bishop calls for unity after pro-Trump vandalism

SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — The head of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington is calling on President-elect Donald Trump and his supporters "to separate themselves from acts of violence and hate" after a church in a Maryland suburb with a strong Latino population was vandalized with a racist message that mentions Trump.

Church officials say a banner advertising the Spanish-language service at the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour in Silver Spring was slashed Saturday night and the words "Trump nation. Whites only" were written on the back. The same phrase was written on a brick wall in the memorial garden of the parish.

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde (BUD-ee) called for unity following Sunday services. She says she doesn't want immigrants and people of color "to imagine that this is who we are as a nation."